“Attitude Determines Altitude”
James 1:13-17
Message #3 in James Series
24 May 2020
INTRODUCTION:
I love airplanes. I always have. They fascinate me. That
something made from steel and aluminium and other heavy materials can get off
the ground and soar through the air like a bird absolutely amazes me.
For many years I wanted to be a pilot. Even after hearing God’s call to
missionary service I assumed for a long time that I would end up being a
missionary pilot, because of my love for airplanes. However, God had a
different plan for me, and my dreams of flying have never yet come true. I
am still hoping that when I get to Heaven, I will be able to fly, one way or
another. We’ll see.
Like with any specialized field of study, aeronautics has its own
vocabulary. A word you will hear pilots use is “attitude.” However, when they use that word, they mean it in
a sense different from its common usage. They are not talking about pilots
being grouchy in the cockpit. The dictionary defines “attitude” as:
- The position
or posture assumed by the body in connection with an action,
feeling, mood, etc. [e.g. to kneel in an attitude of prayer]
- A manner
of acting, feeling, or thinking that shows one’s disposition, opinion,
etc. [e.g. a friendly attitude]
- One’s
disposition, opinion, mental set, etc.
- In aeronautics, the position of an aircraft or spacecraft in relation
to a given line or plane, as the horizon.
It is in this last
sense this I want to use the word today, to explain how “attitude determines
altitude.” If an airplane is in a downward glidepath it will eventually hit
the ground. If it is just part of a normal landing protocol that is one thing,
but if the downward slide is the result of an onboard crisis that is something
else. The only way to bring an airplane out of a downward glidepath and regain
altitude is to change its “attitude” and increase speed. The pilot must do two
things simultaneously: First, he/she must pull back on the yoke to bring the
nose of the aircraft above the horizon line (i.e. change of “attitude”); and
secondly, the pilot must push the throttles forward to the maximum to increase
speed and thrust. Doing these two things will put the airplane right again,
averting disaster.
TRANSITION:
Today we are in our third study of the Book of James. Last Sunday we
looked at verses 1-12 of chapter 1 and Matthew also gave some background
information about who James was and why he wrote this book. For those of
you who were not with us last Sunday I encourage you to go to my website (www.mikesteachingnotes.blogspot.com) and get the notes
from the first James study there. That will help bring you up to speed.
MAIN BODY:
Today we are starting at verse 13 but you will remember that James has already
been talking about how Christians should respond when they find themselves
going through times of trial and testing. We are to look at the trial
positively, “considering it all joy,” knowing that God will use it to build our
character and strengthen our faith (see v. 2). James says that trials build
endurance. But the fact is, a lot of people do not see it that
way. When trials come, they look around for someone to blame. They
fail to see the trial from God’s perspective so rather than letting it run its
course and “have its perfect result” as
stated in verse 4, they handle it all wrong and fail to get out of the
experience what God had intended. They forget that “attitude determines altitude.” They get their eyes off the Lord
and start looking around them at the circumstances, and in no time, they are in
a fast glidepath downward.
Remember, for an
airplane to go up its nose must be pointed up.
Likewise, when we are going through trials, we need a change of attitude. We
need to get our eyes up off our situation and quit looking downward. We need to
lift our heads and gaze at the Lord who is the Author of our faith, and then press
on the throttles. The Holy Spirit is the source of power for the believer. He
is the one who gives us the strength to endure and to even thrive during times
of trouble.
Now in this next
section James gets specific about something else with which we are all too
familiar, namely temptations. James has been telling us that
trials and testings are from God and are His way of building endurance and
Christlike character in us. Not so with temptations, however. They do NOT come
from God and are NOT designed to strengthen us and make us better. Temptations
come from our enemy, Satan, and are designed to make us fall, and fail, to
weaken us and to destroy our testimony and our confidence in God. A temptation
overload is like an onboard systems failure. At that point things begin
spinning out of control and you can no longer trust your instincts. You must
trust your instruments and keep your eyes on those things that never change to keep
your bearings. Otherwise you will end up crashing and burning. Let’s dip
our nets in at verse 13.
Verse 13: Let no one say when
he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil,
and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
- James deals in chapter 1 with two different types of challenges
in the life of every believer: First, those “trials” that come
from outside us in the form of difficult circumstances
beyond our control; and Secondly, temptations from within
us because of our old natures and our acquired taste for sinning,
or sometimes directly from Satan.
- James makes a clear distinction between “trials,” which
can come from God in order to refine us and make us more Christlike, and
“temptations,” which never come from God but from the devil, and
are always intended by the enemy to cause us to fall and flail
and fear and fail. “Trials” are designed by God to make
us stronger, but “temptations” are concocted by the devil working in
cahoots with our flesh, to bring about our spiritual ruin and to embarrass
God.
- So here in verse 13 James makes the transition from the
one kind of trial to the other. The word “temptation” always carries
the idea of luring a person into sin. James probably had in mind
here the Jewish doctrine of “yetzer
hara,” which literally means evil impulse or evil
inclination. Some Jews reasoned that since God created
everything, He must have also created the evil impulse. And since it
is this evil impulse that tempts man to sin, ultimately God, who created
it, is responsible for evil. But James shoots that idea
down in flames. He says categorically that God is not the source of
evil. Being perfectly holy He himself cannot be tempted to do evil.
Moreover, being holy He does not tempt anyone to try and get them to do
evil things. No, but in the next verse James explains how evil
happens. He lays out the downward staircase leading a person toward
sin.
Verse 14: But each one is
tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
- He says that “each one” who sins follows this same
pattern. So, this is true for believers and unbelievers alike.
- A “trial” instantly becomes a
“temptation” when our “lust” gets involved. Now when we hear
the word lust, we instantly think of sexual temptations, but the concept
is much broader than that. Lust just means a strong desire that is
not bridled by higher motives. A person can have a lust for fame, or
money, or power, or sex, or possessions. The sinful tastes of humans
are varied so lust comes in a lot of different colours and models, but it
is all really the same thing—uncontrolled desire for things that we do not
have but that we crave.
- Let me try to illustrate this using a scenario with
which I am personally familiar. Let’s imagine that one day I have
some time on my hands with nothing to do (First problem = idleness),
so I decide to take a run up to the local Harley-Davidson motorcycle
dealership to look at their new models. Sounds innocent enough so
far. I go in and start walking around, salivating over the new
motorcycles (Second problem = the lust of the eye). I spot my good
friend, Rick, talking with the salesman. Soon I learn that Rick is
buying a brand-new full-dressed bright red 2020 Harley Road King with all
the bells and whistles. My mind begins to work, and the wheels begin
to turn. I think to myself, “I
deserve a new motorcycle as much as he does (Third problem = jealousy/covetousness). My
old bike is a 2007 model. Let’s see, that’s 13 years old, soon to be
14. Also, I need a new motorcycle because my old one
does not have the kind of comfy rear seat with back support and arm rests
that I would like so that Ramel will be more comfortable when we go on
long trips (Fourth problem = selfish rationalization). Besides,
I would look really good riding on that deep purple model with the
metallic-fleck paint job and the 200 lbs. of chrome.” (Fifth problem = vanity). Now
we have a serious problem here, Houston! At this point I am being
carried away and enticed by my own lust for big beautiful motorcycles
coupled with my lust for impressing other people. My self-talk is
leading me right down the path toward sin. I am being motivated by
pride, covetousness, and a few other sins and am justifying everything by
my “need” for a new motorcycle. Do you see how it works?
Verses 15-16: Then when lust has
conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth
death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
- James uses reproductive language here. He likens
the conception of sin to the conception of a child. The seed is
fertilized, implanted, and begins to grow. It gets nurtured and grows
some more. It gets bigger and stronger. Finally, the day comes
when the birth happens. But what pops out? Surprise! A
fully-grown, fully developed big ugly hairy sin. It jumps down off the
birthing table, struts around the room and proudly says, “Here
I am!”
- When a healthy new baby is born it is a joyful occasion
for everyone. We rejoice in that new life. Everyone is
smiling. Everyone is happy. The birth has brought forth new life
and all kinds of potential for good and for greatness. We say, “Maybe he will grow up to be a great
doctor and discover the cure for cancer.” Or, “Maybe she will grow up to become
President or a great ambassador.” However, when sin is born,
things quickly start to look like a bad horror movie. The ugly
monster strutting around the room suddenly starts slashing and biting and
killing. It is an ugly scene, but it portrays what James is saying: “When
lust gives birth to sin, and sin is accomplished, SIN BRINGS FORTH DEATH.”
- Verse 16 is a warning to not misread the signs. He
says: “Do not be deceived,
my beloved brethren.” That
is because the devil is a deceiver. We certainly can be carried away
by our own lusts, but we can also be deceived by Satan. The enemy
will try to place things in your path, knowing that you are a sucker for
that exact kind of temptation. He will form-fit the temptation to fit your
weaknesses. So, if you are not careful and vigilant, you will step right
into his tailor-made trap. Going back to my story about motorcycles,
knowing myself like I do, I am better off just not going into those kinds
of places, in the same way that a person who struggles with alcoholism
should stay out of pubs and taverns, and a person who struggles with
sexual temptation should stay off the Internet when he/she is
alone. There are things we can do to help keep ourselves out
of trouble and we should take every precaution.
Verse 17: Every good thing given,
and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
- Here James is reminding us that God only gives us good
gifts. He never gives us cheap, worthless junk. This is to drive
home his statement that God does not tempt us to do evil. That is not the
kind of present God gives to His children. James here uses a word-picture
to say that God never changes (there is no variation in His light), and
there is no sin mixed in with His goodness (no shifting shadow). The
Bible says that He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. Man
changes, but God does not. Man’s love grows cold, but God’s does
not. Man’s commitment to God tends to wane over time, but God’s love
for us only grows stronger.
CONCLUSION:
I suppose there are lots of things in this world that you can blame God
for: typhoons, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc., even though the
Bible says that all these things are really the result of the fact that nature
is all fouled-up because of man’s fall into sin. In other words, we are
really the cause. We might call these things the “fruits of the Fall.” When
sin and death came onto the scene, death and destruction reverberated
throughout all of God’s creation. The Bible says that the whole world now
groans in pain, looking forward to the day when the Lord will bring about a new
heaven and a new earth.
But if it makes you feel better, go ahead, and blame God for all the rotten
stuff that He allows to happen in this world. It is true, He is sovereign
and powerful, and He could stop it if He wanted to. But leaving that issue
aside, DO NOT EVER BLAME HIM FOR YOUR SINS. He does not cause anyone to
sin. He does not set you up so that your only option is to sin. He
will never tempt you or try to entrap you. No, that is all the work of the
enemy, Satan, and his little buddies, working in conjunction with your already
rotten flesh and your sinful nature.
Jesus came to save us from our sins and to set us free from the power and
dominion of sin. He came to make us new and to destroy the old sin nature
in us with its propensity to choose sin over holiness. In this passage
James tells us, “Don’t you dare try to lay the guilt of your sin on God’s
doorstep.” We are responsible for our own sins.
Just one more observation… any painful
event in life can be viewed in two ways. First, it can be viewed from a
godly perspective, as a trial from the Lord meant to strengthen and perfect us.
Or, secondly, the very same unpleasant event or situation can be viewed
from the opposite perspective as a “proof” of God’s meanness and lack of caring
about us.
For example, let’s suppose I get the
bad news that I have been diagnosed with cancer. As a believe I know that God
filters everything that touch me, so I know that He has allowed this to come
into my life for a good purpose. I can see it as a trial, a test of my faith
and of my character. I can submit my will to God and entrust my future to Him
once again. I can say, “Lord, I am choosing to trust You. Use this in my life
to make me more like Jesus.”
Or, I can go the other
direction and do what the devil wants me to do. I can give-in to the temptation
and to my fears and get angry at God. I can doubt that He loves me. I can rail
against Him. That is the temptation. That is what the enemy wants. There is a
temptation baked into the middle of every trial. How I respond, positively or negatively,
is up to me.
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